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Eusapia Palladino (alternative spelling: ''Paladino''; 21 January 1854 – 16 May 1918) was an
Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional It ...
Spiritualist physical medium. She claimed extraordinary powers such as the ability to
levitate Levitation (from Latin ''levitas'' "lightness") is the process by which an object is held aloft in a stable position, without mechanical support via any physical contact. Levitation is accomplished by providing an upward force that counteracts ...
tables, communicate with the dead through her spirit guide John King, and to produce other supernatural phenomena. She convinced many persons of her powers, but was caught in deceptive trickery throughout her career. Joseph Jastrow. (1918)
''The Psychology of Conviction''
Houghton Mifflin Company. pp. 101–127
Walter Mann. (1919)
''The Follies and Frauds of Spiritualism''
Rationalist Association. London: Watts & Co. pp. 115–130
Ernest Hilgard. (1967). ''Introduction to Psychology''. Harcourt, Brace and Company. p. 243. "Eusapia Palladino was a medium who was able to make a table move and produce other effects, such as tapping sounds, by the aid of a "spirit" called John King. Investigated repeatedly between 1893 and 1910, she convinced many distinguished scientists of her powers, including the distinguished Italian criminologist Lombroso and the British physicist Sir Oliver Lodge. She was caught in deceptive trickery as early as 1895, and the results were published. Yet believers continued to support her genuineness, as some do today, even though in an American investigation in 1910, her trickery was abundantly exposed. Two investigators, dressed in black, crawled under the table unobserved and were able to see exactly how she used her foot to create the "supernatural" phenomena."
Milbourne Christopher Milbourne Christopher (23 March 1914 – 17 June 1984) was a prominent American illusionist, magic historian, and author. President of the Society of American Magicians, an honorary vice-president to The Magic Circle, and one of the founding me ...
. (1971). ''ESP, Seers & Psychics''. Crowell. pp. 188–204.
Magicians, including Harry Houdini, and skeptics who evaluated her claims concluded that none of her phenomena were genuine and that she was a clever trickster. Harry Houdini. (2011, originally published in 1924). ''A Magician Among the Spirits''. Cambridge University Press. pp. 50–65.
Joseph Rinn Joseph Francis Rinn (1868–1952) was an American magician and skeptic of paranormal phenomena. Career Rinn grew up in New York City. He coached Harry Houdini as a teenager in running at the Pastime Athletic Club. He remained a friend to Houdini ...
. (1950). ''Sixty Years of Psychical Research: Houdini and I Among the Spiritualists''. Truth Seeker Company. pp. 272–356
C. E. M. Hansel Charles Edward Mark Hansel (12 October 1917 – 28 March 2011) was a British psychologist most notable for his criticism of parapsychological studies. Early life and education Hansel was born in 1917 in Bedford, England and attended Bedford ...
. (1980). ''ESP and Parapsychology: A Critical Re-Evaluation''. Prometheus Books. pp. 58–64.
Massimo Polidoro. (2003). ''Secrets of the Psychics: Investigating Paranormal Claims''. Prometheus Books. pp. 62–96. Her Warsaw
séance A séance or seance (; ) is an attempt to communicate with spirits. The word ''séance'' comes from the French word for "session", from the Old French ''seoir'', "to sit". In French, the word's meaning is quite general: one may, for example, spe ...
s at the turn of 1893–94 inspired several colorful scenes in the historical novel '' Pharaoh'', which
Bolesław Prus Aleksander Głowacki (20 August 1847 – 19 May 1912), better known by his pen name Bolesław Prus (), was a Polish novelist, a leading figure in the history of Polish literature and philosophy, as well as a distinctive voice in world lite ...
began writing in 1894.


Early life

Palladino was born into a peasant family in
Minervino Murge Minervino Murge ( nap, Menarvèine, label= Central Apulian ) is a town and ''comune'', former bishopric and present Latin Catholic titular see in the administrative province of Barletta-Andria-Trani in the region of Apulia in southern Italy, lyin ...
, Bari Province, Italy. She received little, if any, formal education. Orphaned as a child, she was taken in as a nursemaid by a family in Naples. In her early life, she was married to a travelling conjuror and theatrical artist, Raphael Delgaiz, whose store she helped manage.D. H. Rawcliffe. (1988). ''Occult and Supernatural Phenomena''. Dover Publications. p. 321 Palladino later married a wine merchant, Francesco Niola.


Poland

Palladino visited Warsaw, Poland, on two occasions. Her first and longer visit was when she came at the importunities of the psychologist, Dr.
Julian Ochorowicz Julian Leopold Ochorowicz (Polish pronunciation: ; outside Poland also known as Julien Ochorowitz; Radzymin, 23 February 1850 – 1 May 1917, Warsaw) was a Polish philosopher, psychologist, inventor (precursor of radio and television), poet, pub ...
, who hosted her from November 1893 to January 1894. Regarding the phenomena demonstrated at Palladino's
séance A séance or seance (; ) is an attempt to communicate with spirits. The word ''séance'' comes from the French word for "session", from the Old French ''seoir'', "to sit". In French, the word's meaning is quite general: one may, for example, spe ...
s, Ochorowicz concluded against the spirit hypothesis and for a hypothesis that the phenomena were caused by a "fluidic action" and were performed at the expense of the medium's own powers and those of the other participants in the séances. Ochorowicz introduced Palladino to the journalist and novelist
Bolesław Prus Aleksander Głowacki (20 August 1847 – 19 May 1912), better known by his pen name Bolesław Prus (), was a Polish novelist, a leading figure in the history of Polish literature and philosophy, as well as a distinctive voice in world lite ...
, who attended a number of her séances, wrote about them in the
press Press may refer to: Media * Print media or news media, commonly called "the press" * Printing press, commonly called "the press" * Press (newspaper), a list of newspapers * Press TV, an Iranian television network People * Press (surname), a fam ...
, and incorporated several Spiritualist-inspired scenes into his historical novel '' Pharaoh''. On 1 January 1894 Palladino called on Prus at his apartment. As described by Ochorowicz, Palladino subsequently visited Warsaw in the second half of May 1898, on her way from
St. Petersburg Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...
to Vienna and Munich. At that time, Prus attended at least two of the three séances that she conducted (the two séances were held in the apartment of
Ludwik Krzywicki Ludwik Joachim Franciszek Krzywicki (21 August 1859 – 10 June 1941) was a Polish Marxist anthropologist, economist and sociologist. One of the early champions of sociology in Poland, he approached historical materialism from a sociological viewpo ...
).


England

In July 1895, Palladino was invited to England to
Frederic William Henry Myers Frederic William Henry Myers (6 February 1843 – 17 January 1901) was a British poet, classicist, philologist, and a founder of the Society for Psychical Research. Myers' work on psychical research and his ideas about a "subliminal self" w ...
's house in
Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cambridge becam ...
for a series of investigations into her mediumship. According to reports by the investigators Myers and
Oliver Lodge Sir Oliver Joseph Lodge, (12 June 1851 – 22 August 1940) was a British physicist and writer involved in the development of, and holder of key patents for, radio. He identified electromagnetic radiation independent of Hertz's proof and at his ...
, all the phenomena observed in the Cambridge sittings were the result of trickery. Her fraud was so clever, according to Myers, that it "must have needed long practice to bring it to its present level of skill."
Joseph McCabe Joseph Martin McCabe (12 November 1867 – 10 January 1955) was an English writer and speaker on freethought, after having been a Roman Catholic priest earlier in his life. He was "one of the great mouthpieces of freethought in England". Beco ...
. (1920)
''Is Spiritualism Based On Fraud? The Evidence Given By Sir A. C. Doyle and Others Drastically Examined''
London, Watts & Co. p. 14
In the Cambridge sittings, the results proved disastrous for her mediumship. During the séances Palladino was caught cheating in order to free herself from the physical controls of the experiments. Palladino was found liberating her hands by placing the hand of the controller on her left on top of the hand of the controller on her right. Instead of maintaining any contact with her, the observers on either side were found to be holding each other's hands and this made it possible for her to perform tricks.M. Brady Brower. (2010). ''Unruly Spirits: The Science of Psychic Phenomena in Modern France''. University of Illinois Press. p. 62.
Richard Hodgson Richard Hodgson (born 1 October 1979) is an English former professional footballer. Hodgson began his career as a trainee with Nottingham Forest, turning professional in October 1996. He was released in March 2000, having failed to break into ...
had observed Palladino free a hand to move objects and use her feet to kick pieces of furniture in the room. Because of the discovery of fraud, the British SPR investigators such as Henry Sidgwick and Frank Podmore considered Palladino's mediumship to be permanently discredited, and because of her fraud she was banned from any further experiments with the SPR in Britain. The magician John Nevil Maskelyne, who was involved in the investigation, supported Hodgson's conclusion. However, despite the evidence of fraud,
Oliver Lodge Sir Oliver Joseph Lodge, (12 June 1851 – 22 August 1940) was a British physicist and writer involved in the development of, and holder of key patents for, radio. He identified electromagnetic radiation independent of Hertz's proof and at his ...
considered some of her phenomena genuine. In the ''
Daily Chronicle The 'Daily Chronicle' was a British newspaper that was published from 1872 to 1930 when it merged with the '' Daily News'' to become the ''News Chronicle''. Foundation The ''Daily Chronicle'' was developed by Edward Lloyd out of a local newspap ...
'' on 29 October 1895, Maskelyne published a long exposure of Palladino's fraudulent methods. According to historian
Ruth Brandon Ruth Brandon (born 1943) is a British journalist, historian and author. Biography Brandon began her career as a trainee producer for the BBC, working in radio and television. She moved to work in freelance journalism and as an author. She is t ...
"Maskelyne concluded that everything rested on the question whether Eusapia could get a hand or foot free occasionally. She wriggled so much that it was impossible to control her properly throughout. If she could get one hand, and sometimes a foot, free, everything could be explained." In the ''
British Medical Journal ''The BMJ'' is a weekly peer-reviewed medical trade journal, published by the trade union the British Medical Association (BMA). ''The BMJ'' has editorial freedom from the BMA. It is one of the world's oldest general medical journals. Origina ...
'' on 9 November 1895 an article was published titled ''Exit Eusapia!''. The article questioned the scientific legitimacy of the SPR for investigating Palladino a medium who had a reputation of being a fraud and imposture.The British Medical Journal. (Nov. 9, 1895). ''Exit Eusapia!''. Volume. 2, No. 1819. p. 1182. Part of the article read "It would be comic if it were not deplorable to picture this sorry Egeria surrounded by men like Professor Sidgwick, Professor Lodge, Mr. F. H. Myers, Dr. Schiaparelli, and Professor Richet, solemnly receiving her pinches and kicks, her finger skiddings, her sleight of hand with various articles of furniture as phenomena calling for serious study." This caused Henry Sidgwick to respond in a published letter to the ''British Medical Journal'' of 16 November 1895. According to Sidgwick SPR members had exposed the fraud of Palladino at the Cambridge sittings. Sidgwick wrote "Throughout this period we have continually combated and exposed the frauds of professional mediums, and have never yet published in our Proceedings, any report in favour of the performances of any of them."The British Medical Journal. (Nov. 16, 1895). ''Exit Eusapia''. Volume 2, No. 1820. pp. 1263–1264. The response from the "BMJ" questioned why the SPR wasted time investigating phenomena that were the "result of jugglery and imposture" and did not urgently concern the welfare of mankind. In 1898, Myers was invited to a series of séances in Paris with
Charles Richet Charles Robert Richet (25 August 1850 – 4 December 1935) was a French physiologist at the Collège de France known for his pioneering work in immunology. In 1913, he won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine "in recognition of his work on ...
. In contrast to the previous séances in which he had observed fraud, he now claimed to have observed convincing phenomena.Janet Oppenheim. (1985). ''The Other World: Spiritualism and Psychical Research in England, 1850–1914''. Cambridge University Press. pp. 150–151. Sidgwick reminded Myers of Palladino's trickery in the previous investigations as "overwhelming" but Myers did not change his position. This enraged
Richard Hodgson Richard Hodgson (born 1 October 1979) is an English former professional footballer. Hodgson began his career as a trainee with Nottingham Forest, turning professional in October 1996. He was released in March 2000, having failed to break into ...
, then editor of SPR publications, who banned Myers from publishing anything on his recent sittings with Palladino in the SPR journal. Hodgson was convinced Palladino was a fraud and supported Sidgwick in the "attempt to put that vulgar cheat Eusapia beyond the pale." It wasn't until the 1908 sittings in Naples that the SPR reopened the Palladino file. The British psychical researcher Harry Price, who studied Palladino's mediumship, wrote "Her tricks were usually childish: long hairs attached to small objects in order to produce 'telekinetic movements'; the gradual substitution of one hand for two when being controlled by sitters; the production of 'phenomena' with a foot which had been surreptitiously removed from its shoe and so on."


France

The French psychical researcher
Charles Richet Charles Robert Richet (25 August 1850 – 4 December 1935) was a French physiologist at the Collège de France known for his pioneering work in immunology. In 1913, he won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine "in recognition of his work on ...
with Oliver Lodge,
Frederic William Henry Myers Frederic William Henry Myers (6 February 1843 – 17 January 1901) was a British poet, classicist, philologist, and a founder of the Society for Psychical Research. Myers' work on psychical research and his ideas about a "subliminal self" w ...
and
Julian Ochorowicz Julian Leopold Ochorowicz (Polish pronunciation: ; outside Poland also known as Julien Ochorowitz; Radzymin, 23 February 1850 – 1 May 1917, Warsaw) was a Polish philosopher, psychologist, inventor (precursor of radio and television), poet, pub ...
investigated the medium Palladino in the summer of 1894 at his house in the Ile Roubaud in the Mediterranean. Richet claimed furniture moved during the séance and that some of the phenomena was the result of a supernatural agency. However,
Richard Hodgson Richard Hodgson (born 1 October 1979) is an English former professional footballer. Hodgson began his career as a trainee with Nottingham Forest, turning professional in October 1996. He was released in March 2000, having failed to break into ...
claimed there was inadequate control during the séances and the precautions described did not rule out trickery. Hodgson wrote all the phenomena "described could be account for on the assumption that Eusapia could get a hand or foot free." Lodge, Myers and Richet disagreed, but Hodgson was later proven correct in the Cambridge sittings as Palladino was observed to have used tricks exactly the way he had described them. In 1898, the French astronomer
Eugene Antoniadi Eugène Michel Antoniadi (Greek: Ευγένιος Αντωνιάδης; 1 March 1870 – 10 February 1944) was a Greek- French astronomer. Biography Antoniadi was born in Istanbul ( Constantinople) but spent most of his adult life in Fra ...
investigated the mediumship of Palladino at the house of
Camille Flammarion Nicolas Camille Flammarion FRAS (; 26 February 1842 – 3 June 1925) was a French astronomer and author. He was a prolific author of more than fifty titles, including popular science works about astronomy, several notable early science fiction ...
. According to Antoniadi her performance was "fraud from beginning to end". Palladino tried constantly to free her hands from control and was caught lowering a letter-scale by means of a hair. Flammarion, who attended séances with Palladino, believed that some of her phenomena were genuine. He produced in his book alleged levitation photographs of a table and an impression of a face in putty.
Joseph McCabe Joseph Martin McCabe (12 November 1867 – 10 January 1955) was an English writer and speaker on freethought, after having been a Roman Catholic priest earlier in his life. He was "one of the great mouthpieces of freethought in England". Beco ...
did not find the evidence convincing. He stated that the impressions of faces in putty were always of Palladino's face and could have easily been made, and she was not entirely clear from the table in the levitation photographs. In 1905, Eusapia Palladino came to Paris, where Nobel-laureate physicists
Pierre Curie Pierre Curie ( , ; 15 May 1859 – 19 April 1906) was a French physicist, a pioneer in crystallography, magnetism, piezoelectricity, and radioactivity. In 1903, he received the Nobel Prize in Physics with his wife, Marie Curie, and Henri Becquer ...
and Marie Curie and Nobel-laureate physiologist
Charles Richet Charles Robert Richet (25 August 1850 – 4 December 1935) was a French physiologist at the Collège de France known for his pioneering work in immunology. In 1913, he won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine "in recognition of his work on ...
investigated her amongst other philosophers and scientists such as
Henri Bergson Henri-Louis Bergson (; 18 October 1859 – 4 January 1941) was a French philosopherHenri Bergson. 2014. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Retrieved 13 August 2014, from https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/61856/Henri-Bergson
and
Jacques-Arsène d'Arsonval Jacques-Arsène d'Arsonval (8 June 1851 – 31 December 1940) was a French physician, physicist and inventor of the moving-coil D'Arsonval galvanometer and the thermocouple ammeter. D'Arsonval was an important contributor to the emerging field of ...
. Signs of trickery were detected but they could not explain all of the phenomena. Other members of the Curies' circle of scientist friends—including
William Crookes Sir William Crookes (; 17 June 1832 – 4 April 1919) was a British chemist and physicist who attended the Royal College of Chemistry, now part of Imperial College London, and worked on spectroscopy. He was a pioneer of vacuum tubes, inventing ...
; future Nobel laureate
Jean Perrin Jean Baptiste Perrin (30 September 1870 – 17 April 1942) was a French physicist who, in his studies of the Brownian motion of minute particles suspended in liquids ( sedimentation equilibrium), verified Albert Einstein’s explanation of this ...
and his wife Henriette; Louis Georges Gouy; and Paul Langevin—were also exploring spiritualism, as was Pierre Curie's brother Jacques, a fervent believer.
Barbara Goldsmith Barbara Goldsmith (May 18, 1931 – June 26, 2016) was an American author, journalist, and philanthropist. She received critical and popular acclaim for her best-selling books, essays, articles, and her philanthropic work. She was awarded four ...
. (2005). ''Obsessive Genius: The Inner World of Marie Curie''. W. W. Norton. p. 138.
The Curies regarded mediumistic séances as "scientific experiments" and took detailed notes. According to historian Anna Hurwic, they thought it possible to discover in spiritualism the source of an unknown energy that would reveal the secret of radioactivity. On July 24, 1905, Pierre Curie reported to his friend Gouy: "We have had a series of séances with Eusapia Palladino at the ociety for Psychical Research" Pierre was eager to enlist Gouy. Palladino, he informed him, would return in November, and "I hope that we will be able to convince you of the reality of the phenomena or at least some of them." Pierre was planning to undertake experiments "in a methodical fashion." Marie Curie also attended Palladino's séances, but does not seem to have been as intrigued by them as Pierre. On 14 April 1906, just five days before his accidental death, Pierre Curie wrote Gouy about his last séance with Palladino: "There is here, in my opinion, a whole domain of entirely new facts and physical states in space of which we have no conception." Professors Gustave Le Bon and Albert Dastre of Paris University examined Palladino in 1906 and concluded that she was a cheat. They installed a secret lamp behind Palladino and, at a
séance A séance or seance (; ) is an attempt to communicate with spirits. The word ''séance'' comes from the French word for "session", from the Old French ''seoir'', "to sit". In French, the word's meaning is quite general: one may, for example, spe ...
, saw her release and use her foot. In 1907, Palladino was found using a strand of her hair to move an object toward herself and it was noted by investigators that the objects were not outside of her easy reach.


Italy

In the late 19th century, the criminologist
Cesare Lombroso Cesare Lombroso (, also ; ; born Ezechia Marco Lombroso; 6 November 1835 – 19 October 1909) was an Italian criminologist, phrenologist, physician, and founder of the Italian School of Positivist Criminology. Lombroso rejected the establis ...
attended séances with Palladino and was convinced that she had supernatural powers. Lombroso was persuaded by Palladino's manager, Ercole Chiaia, to attend her séances. Chiaia challenged him in an open letter in the magazine ''La Fanfulla'', pointing out that if Lombroso was unbiased and free of prejudice, he should be willing to investigate her phenomena. Initially, Lombroso rejected the challenge, which was accepted by a young Spanish physician, Manuel Otero Acevedo, who travelled to Naples, studied Palladino and convinced Lombroso, Aksakof and other scientists of the importance of investigating her phenomena. Lombroso's subsequent conversion, reported by the press in Italy and the world, was instrumental to Palladino's reaching celebrity status at the turn of the century. Most extraordinary was a phenomenon that Lombroso dubbed "The Levitation of the Medium to the Top of the Table." However, other investigators found the levitations of the table to be fraudulent. According to authors William Kalush and Larry Sloman, Lombroso was having a sexual relationship with Palladino. Lombroso's daughter Gina Ferrero wrote that, in his later years, Lombroso suffered from arteriosclerosis and his mental and physical health was wrecked.
Joseph McCabe Joseph Martin McCabe (12 November 1867 – 10 January 1955) was an English writer and speaker on freethought, after having been a Roman Catholic priest earlier in his life. He was "one of the great mouthpieces of freethought in England". Beco ...
wrote that because of this it is not surprising that Palladino managed to fool him with her tricks.
Enrico Morselli Enrico "Henry" Agostino Morselli (17 July 1852 - 18 February 1929) was an Italian physician and psychical researcher. Morselli was professor at the University of Turin. He is best known for the publication of his influential book, ''Suicide: An ...
was also interested in mediumship and psychical research. He studied Palladino and concluded that some of her phenomena were genuine – evidence for an unknown bio-psychic force present in all humans. In 1908, the Society for Psychical Research (SPR) appointed a committee of three to examine Palladino in Naples. The committee comprised Mr.
Hereward Carrington Hereward Carrington (17 October 1880 – 26 December 1958) was a well-known British-born American investigator of psychic phenomena and author. His subjects included several of the most high-profile cases of apparent psychic ability of his times, ...
, investigator for the American Society for Psychical Research and an amateur conjurer; Mr.
W. W. Baggally William Wortley Baggally (1848 – 14 March 1928), most well known as W. W. Baggally, was a British psychical researcher who investigated spiritualist mediums. Career Baggally joined the Society for Psychical Research (SPR) in 1896 in the hope of ...
, also an investigator and amateur conjurer of much experience; and the Hon.
Everard Feilding Francis Henry Everard Joseph Feilding (6 March 1867 – 8 February 1936) best known as Everard Feilding was an English barrister, naval intelligence officer and psychical researcher. Career As a teenager, Feilding worked as a midshipman for ...
, who had had an extensive training as investigator and "a fairly complete education at the hands of fraudulent mediums." Three adjoining rooms on the fifth floor of the Hotel Victoria were rented. The middle room where Feilding slept was used in the evening for the séances. In the corner of the room was a séance cabinet created by a pair of black curtains to form an enclosed area that contained a small round table with several musical instruments. In front of the curtains was placed a wooden table. During the séances, Palladino would sit at this table with her back to the curtains. The investigators sat on either side of her, holding her hand and placing a foot on her foot. Frank Podmore. (1910)
''The Newer Spiritualism''
Henry Holt and Company. pp. 114–44
Guest visitors also attended some of the séances; the Feilding report mentions that Professor Bottazzi and Professor Galeotti were present at the fourth séance, and a Mr. Ryan was present at the eighth séance. Although the investigators caught Palladino cheating, they were convinced Palladino produced genuine supernatural phenomena such as levitations of the table, movement of the curtains, movement of objects from behind the curtain and touches from hands. Regarding the first report by Carrington and Feilding, the American scientist and philosopher
Charles Sanders Peirce Charles Sanders Peirce ( ; September 10, 1839 – April 19, 1914) was an American philosopher, logician, mathematician and scientist who is sometimes known as "the father of pragmatism". Educated as a chemist and employed as a scientist for ...
wrote: Frank Podmore in his book ''The Newer Spiritualism'' (1910) wrote a comprehensive critique of the Feilding report. Podmore said that the report provided insufficient information for crucial moments and the investigators representation of the witness accounts contained contradictions and inconsistencies as to who was holding Palladino's feet and hands. Podmore found accounts among the investigators conflicted as to who they claimed to have observed the incident. Podmore wrote that the report "at almost every point leaves obvious loopholes for trickery." During the séances the long black curtains were often intermixed with Palladino's long black dress. Palladino told Professor Bottazzi the black curtains were "indispensable." Researchers have suspected Palladino used the curtain to conceal her feet. The psychologist
C. E. M. Hansel Charles Edward Mark Hansel (12 October 1917 – 28 March 2011) was a British psychologist most notable for his criticism of parapsychological studies. Early life and education Hansel was born in 1917 in Bedford, England and attended Bedford ...
criticized the Feilding report based on the conditions of the séances being susceptible to trickery. Hansel said that they were performed in semi-dark conditions, held in the late night or early morning introducing the possibility of fatigue and the "investigators had a strong belief in the supernatural, hence they would be emotionally involved." In 1910,
Everard Feilding Francis Henry Everard Joseph Feilding (6 March 1867 – 8 February 1936) best known as Everard Feilding was an English barrister, naval intelligence officer and psychical researcher. Career As a teenager, Feilding worked as a midshipman for ...
returned to Naples, without Hereward Carrington and
W. W. Baggally William Wortley Baggally (1848 – 14 March 1928), most well known as W. W. Baggally, was a British psychical researcher who investigated spiritualist mediums. Career Baggally joined the Society for Psychical Research (SPR) in 1896 in the hope of ...
. Instead, he was accompanied by his friend, William S. Marriott, a magician of some distinction who had exposed psychic fraud in '' Pearson's Magazine''. His plan was to repeat the famous earlier 1908 Naples sittings with Palladino. Unlike the 1908 sittings which had baffled the investigators, this time Feilding and Marriott detected her cheating, just as she had done in the US.
Milbourne Christopher Milbourne Christopher (23 March 1914 – 17 June 1984) was a prominent American illusionist, magic historian, and author. President of the Society of American Magicians, an honorary vice-president to The Magic Circle, and one of the founding me ...
. (1971). ''ESP, Seers & Psychics''. Crowell. p. 201. *
Everard Feilding Francis Henry Everard Joseph Feilding (6 March 1867 – 8 February 1936) best known as Everard Feilding was an English barrister, naval intelligence officer and psychical researcher. Career As a teenager, Feilding worked as a midshipman for ...
, William S. Marriott. (1910). ''Report on Further Series of Sittings with Eusapia Palladino at Naples.'' Proceedings of the Society for Psychical Research 15: 20–32.
Her deceptions were obvious. Palladino evaded control and was caught moving objects with her foot, shaking the curtain with her hands, moving the cabinet table with her elbow and touching the séance sitters.
Milbourne Christopher Milbourne Christopher (23 March 1914 – 17 June 1984) was a prominent American illusionist, magic historian, and author. President of the Society of American Magicians, an honorary vice-president to The Magic Circle, and one of the founding me ...
wrote regarding the exposure "when one knows how a feat can be done and what to look for, only the most skillful performer can maintain the illusion in the face of such informed scrutiny." In 1992, Richard Wiseman analyzed the Feilding report of Palladino and argued that she employed a secret accomplice that could enter the room by a fake door panel positioned near the séance cabinet. Wiseman discovered this trick was already mentioned in a book from 1851, he also visited a carpenter and skilled magician who constructed a door within an hour with a false panel. The accomplice was suspected to be her second husband, who insisted on bringing Palladino to the hotel where the séances took place.
Paul Kurtz Paul Kurtz (December 21, 1925 – October 20, 2012) was an American scientific skeptic and secular humanist. He has been called "the father of secular humanism". He was Professor Emeritus of Philosophy at the State University of New York at Buff ...
suggested that Carrington could have been Palladino's secret accomplice. Kurtz found it suspicious that he was raised as her manager after the séances in Naples. Carrington was also absent on the night of the last séance. However, Massimo Polidoro and Gian Marco Rinaldi who analyzed the Feilding report came to the conclusion that no secret accomplice was needed as Palladino during the 1908 Naples séances could have produced the phenomena by using her foot.


America

Palladino visited America in 1909 with
Hereward Carrington Hereward Carrington (17 October 1880 – 26 December 1958) was a well-known British-born American investigator of psychic phenomena and author. His subjects included several of the most high-profile cases of apparent psychic ability of his times, ...
as her manager. Her arrival was publicized by the American press, with newspapers such as the '' New York Times'' and magazines such as the
Cosmopolitan Cosmopolitan may refer to: Food and drink * Cosmopolitan (cocktail), also known as a "Cosmo" History * Rootless cosmopolitan, a Soviet derogatory epithet during Joseph Stalin's anti-Semitic campaign of 1949–1953 Hotels and resorts * Cosmopoli ...
publishing numerous articles on the Italian medium. The magician
Howard Thurston Howard Thurston (July 20, 1869 – April 13, 1936) was a stage magician from Columbus, Ohio, United States. His childhood was unhappy, and he ran away to join the circus, where his future partner Harry Kellar also performed. Thurston was deeply ...
attended a séance and endorsed Palladino's levitation of a table as genuine. However, at a séance on 18 December in New York, the Harvard psychologist Hugo Münsterberg with the help of a hidden man lying under a table, caught her levitating the table with her foot. He had also observed Palladino free her foot from her shoe and use her toes to move a guitar in the séance cabinet. Münsterberg also claimed that Palladino moved the curtains from a distance in the room by releasing a jet of air from a rubber bulb that she had in her hand. Daniel Cohen said that " alladinowas undaunted by Munsterberg's exposure. Her tricks had been exposed many times before, yet she had prospered." The exposure was not taken seriously by Palladino's defenders.
Albert von Schrenck-Notzing Albert Freiherr von Schrenck-Notzing (18 May 1862 – 12 February 1929) was a German physician, psychiatrist and notable psychical researcher, who devoted his time to the study of paranormal events connected with mediumship, hypnotism and telepa ...
. (1923)
''Phenomena of Materialisation''
Kegan Paul, Trench, Trübner & Co. pp. 8–10
In January, 1910 a series of séance sittings were held at the physics laboratory at Columbia University. Scientists such as Robert W. Wood and
Edmund Beecher Wilson Edmund Beecher Wilson (October 19, 1856 – March 3, 1939) was a pioneering American zoologist and geneticist. He wrote one of the most influential textbooks in modern biology, ''The Cell''. Career Wilson was born in Geneva, Illinois, the s ...
attended. The magicians W. S. Davis, J. L. Kellogg, J. W. Sargent and
Joseph Rinn Joseph Francis Rinn (1868–1952) was an American magician and skeptic of paranormal phenomena. Career Rinn grew up in New York City. He coached Harry Houdini as a teenager in running at the Pastime Athletic Club. He remained a friend to Houdini ...
were present in the last séance sittings in April. They discovered that Palladino had freed her left foot to perform the phenomena. Rinn gave a full account of fraudulent behavior observed in a séance of Palladino.
Milbourne Christopher Milbourne Christopher (23 March 1914 – 17 June 1984) was a prominent American illusionist, magic historian, and author. President of the Society of American Magicians, an honorary vice-president to The Magic Circle, and one of the founding me ...
summarized the exposure: Palladino was offered $1000 by Rinn if she could perform a feat in controlled conditions that could not be duplicated by magicians. Palladino eventually agreed to the contest but did not turn up for it, and instead returned to Italy.


Tricks

In England,
America The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
, France and Germany, Palladino had been caught utilizing tricks. Psychical researchers such as
Hereward Carrington Hereward Carrington (17 October 1880 – 26 December 1958) was a well-known British-born American investigator of psychic phenomena and author. His subjects included several of the most high-profile cases of apparent psychic ability of his times, ...
who believed some of her phenomena to be genuine, accepted that she would resort to trickery on occasion. Historian Peter Lamont has written that although Palladino's defenders accepted that she would cheat, they "pointed to the best evidence (where, they argued, fraud had been impossible), utcritics argued that the investigators had simply missed it." On the subject of fraud and Palladino, the philosopher and skeptic
Paul Kurtz Paul Kurtz (December 21, 1925 – October 20, 2012) was an American scientific skeptic and secular humanist. He has been called "the father of secular humanism". He was Professor Emeritus of Philosophy at the State University of New York at Buff ...
wrote: In 1910, Stanley LeFevre Krebs wrote an entire book debunking Palladino and exposing the tricks she had used throughout her career, ''Trick Methods of Eusapia Paladino''. The psychologist Joseph Jastrow, in his book ''The Psychology of Conviction'' (1918), included a chapter exposing Palladino's tricks. Magicians such as Harry Houdini and Joseph Rinn have claimed all her feats were conjuring tricks. According to Houdini "Palladino cheated at Cambridge, she cheated in l'Aguélas, and she cheated in New York and yet each time that she was caught cheating the Spiritualists upheld her, excused her, and forgave her. Truly their logic sometimes borders on the humorous." John Mulholland stated that "Palladino was caught cheating times without number even by those who believed in her, and she made no bones about admitting it." Researchers have suspected that Palladino's first husband, a travelling conjuror, taught her séance tricks. The magician
Milbourne Christopher Milbourne Christopher (23 March 1914 – 17 June 1984) was a prominent American illusionist, magic historian, and author. President of the Society of American Magicians, an honorary vice-president to The Magic Circle, and one of the founding me ...
demonstrated Palladino's fraudulent techniques in his stage performances and on Johnny Carson's "Tonight Show". Palladino dictated the
lighting Lighting or illumination is the deliberate use of light to achieve practical or aesthetic effects. Lighting includes the use of both artificial light sources like lamps and light fixtures, as well as natural illumination by capturing dayligh ...
and "controls" that were to be used in her mediumistic
séance A séance or seance (; ) is an attempt to communicate with spirits. The word ''séance'' comes from the French word for "session", from the Old French ''seoir'', "to sit". In French, the word's meaning is quite general: one may, for example, spe ...
s. The fingertips of her right hand rested upon the back of the hand of one "controller." Her left hand was grasped at the wrist by a second controller seated on her other side. Her feet rested on top of the feet of her controllers, sometimes beneath them. A controller's foot was in contact with only the toe of her shoe. Occasionally her ankles were tied to the legs of her chair, but they were given a play of four inches. During the sitting in semi-darkness, her ankles would become free. Generally she was unbound. In one instance, a controller cut her free so that phenomena might occur.
Ruth Brandon Ruth Brandon (born 1943) is a British journalist, historian and author. Biography Brandon began her career as a trainee producer for the BBC, working in radio and television. She moved to work in freelance journalism and as an author. She is t ...
. (1983). ''The Spiritualists: The Passion for the Occult in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries''. New York: Alfred A. Knopf.
Theodor Lipps who attended a séance sitting in 1898 in Munich noticed that, instead of Palladino's hand, he held the hand of the sitter controlling the left side of the medium. In this way Palladino had freed both hands. She was also discovered using trickery by others in Germany. Max Dessoir and Albert Moll of Berlin detected the precise substitution tricks that were used by Palladino. Dessoir and Moll wrote: "The main point is cleverly to distract attention and to release one or both hands or one or both feet. This is Paladino's chief trick". Palladino normally refused to allow someone beneath the table to hold her feet with his hands. She refused to levitate the table from a standing position. The table being rectangular, she had to sit only at a short side. No wall of any kind could stand between Palladino and the table. The weight of the table was seventeen pounds. The table levitated to a height of 3 to 10 inches for a maximum of 2–3 seconds. Frank Podmore. (1910)
''The Newer Spiritualism''
Henry Holt and Company. pp. 87–113
She was an expert at freeing a hand or foot to produce phenomena. She chose to sit at the short side of the table so that her controllers on each side had to sit closer together, making it easier to deceive them. Her
levitation Levitation (from Latin ''levitas'' "lightness") is the process by which an object is held aloft in a stable position, without mechanical support via any physical contact. Levitation is accomplished by providing an upward force that counteract ...
of a table began by freeing one foot, rocking the table, and then slipping her toe under one leg. Since she sat at the narrow end of the table, this was made possible. She lifted the table by rocking back on the heel of this foot. She made the "spirit" raps by striking a leg of the table with a free foot. A photograph, taken in the dark, of a small stool that was alleged to have levitated was revealed to be sitting on Palladino's head. After she saw this photo, the stool remained immobile on the floor. A plaster impression taken of a spirit hand matched Palladino's hand. She was caught using a hair to move a scale. In the dim light, her fist, wrapped in a handkerchief, became a materialized spirit. Science historian
Sherrie Lynne Lyons Sherrie Lynne Lyons (born 1947) is an American author, science historian and skeptic. Lyons works as an Assistant Professor at the Center for Distance Learning of Empire State College at the State University of New York. She is the author of the b ...
wrote that the glowing or light-emitting hands in séances could easily be explained by the rubbing of oil of phosphorus on the hands. In 1909 an article was published in '' The New York Times'' titled "Paladino Used Phosphorus".
Hereward Carrington Hereward Carrington (17 October 1880 – 26 December 1958) was a well-known British-born American investigator of psychic phenomena and author. His subjects included several of the most high-profile cases of apparent psychic ability of his times, ...
confessed to having painted Palladino's arm with phosphorescent paint, though he claimed to have used the paint to detect fraud by tracking the movement of her arm. There was publicity over the incident and Carrington claimed his comments had been misquoted by newspapers. The conjuror W. S. Davis published an article (with diagrams) exposing the tricks of Palladino. Davis also speculated that she used a piece of wire that she hid in her dress to tilt the séance table. Davis noted that when an attempt had been made to place a screen between her and the table she protested. Davis wrote she could not lift the table unless her dress was in contact with it and there is no obstruction between herself and the table. Physician Leonard Keene Hirshberg who attended a séance, observed Palladino to have "hook dher skirt and foot into a tiny reed table behind her" he also said that he heard a noise that sounded like "a piece of wire, pin, or toe-nail groping its way under the table." The psychologist
Millais Culpin Millais Culpin FRCS (6 January 1874 in Ware, Hertfordshire – 14 September 1952 in St Albans, Hertfordshire) was an English physician and psychotherapist. He appears as a character in the '' Casualty 1907'' and '' Casualty 1909'' television ser ...
wrote that Palladino was a conscious cheat but also had symptoms of hysterical dissociation so may have deceived herself. Laura Finch, editor of the ''Annals of Psychical Science'', wrote in 1909 that Palladino had "erotic tendencies" and some of her male séance sitters were deluded or "glamoured" by her presence. According to Deborah Blum, Palladino had a habit of "climbing into the laps of the male" investigators. M. Lamar Keene said that "observers said that Eusapia Palladino used to experience obvious orgasmic reactions during her séances and had a marked propensity for handsome male sitters." In 1910, Palladino admitted to an American reporter that she cheated in her séances, claiming her sitters had 'willed' her to do so. Eric Dingwall who investigated the mediumship of Palladino came to the conclusion that she was "vital, vulgar, amorous and a cheat."David C. Knight. (1969). ''The ESP Reader''. Grosset & Dunlap. p. 60


See also

* Mina Crandon *
Albert de Rochas Eugène Auguste Albert de Rochas d'Aiglun (20 May 1837 – 2 September 1914) was a leading French parapsychologist, historian, translator, writer, military engineer and administrator. Biography Life and career Rochas was born in Saint Firmin i ...
, leading French psychic researcher and one of the committee members who investigated Palladino.


Notes


References

*
Ruth Brandon Ruth Brandon (born 1943) is a British journalist, historian and author. Biography Brandon began her career as a trainee producer for the BBC, working in radio and television. She moved to work in freelance journalism and as an author. She is t ...
. (1983). ''The Spiritualists: The Passion for the Occult in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries''. Alfred A. Knopf. *
Hereward Carrington Hereward Carrington (17 October 1880 – 26 December 1958) was a well-known British-born American investigator of psychic phenomena and author. His subjects included several of the most high-profile cases of apparent psychic ability of his times, ...
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Herbert B. Turner & Co. *
Hereward Carrington Hereward Carrington (17 October 1880 – 26 December 1958) was a well-known British-born American investigator of psychic phenomena and author. His subjects included several of the most high-profile cases of apparent psychic ability of his times, ...
. (1909)
''Eusapia Palladino and Her Phenomena''
B.W. Dodge & Company. Carrington's detailed descriptions and analysis of experiments conducted in European cities between 1891 and 1908. *
Hereward Carrington Hereward Carrington (17 October 1880 – 26 December 1958) was a well-known British-born American investigator of psychic phenomena and author. His subjects included several of the most high-profile cases of apparent psychic ability of his times, ...
. (1909)
''Eusapia Palladino: The Despair of Science''
McClure's Magazine 33: 660–675. * Edward Clodd. (1917)
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Grant Richards, London. *
Millais Culpin Millais Culpin FRCS (6 January 1874 in Ware, Hertfordshire – 14 September 1952 in St Albans, Hertfordshire) was an English physician and psychotherapist. He appears as a character in the '' Casualty 1907'' and '' Casualty 1909'' television ser ...
. (1920)
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The New York Times. November 21. *W. S. Davis. (1909). ''An Analysis of the Exploits of Madame Paladino''. The New York Times. October 17. *W. S. Davis. (1910). ''The New York Exposure of Eusapia Palladino''. Journal of the American Society of Psychical Research 4: 401–424. *Francesco Paolo de Ceglia, Lorenzo Leporiere. (2019). "La pitonessa, il pirata e l'acuto osservatore. Spiritismo e scienza nell'Italia della belle époque". Editrice Bibliografica, 2018. *
Everard Feilding Francis Henry Everard Joseph Feilding (6 March 1867 – 8 February 1936) best known as Everard Feilding was an English barrister, naval intelligence officer and psychical researcher. Career As a teenager, Feilding worked as a midshipman for ...
;
W. W. Baggally William Wortley Baggally (1848 – 14 March 1928), most well known as W. W. Baggally, was a British psychical researcher who investigated spiritualist mediums. Career Baggally joined the Society for Psychical Research (SPR) in 1896 in the hope of ...
;
Hereward Carrington Hereward Carrington (17 October 1880 – 26 December 1958) was a well-known British-born American investigator of psychic phenomena and author. His subjects included several of the most high-profile cases of apparent psychic ability of his times, ...
. (1909). ''Report on a Series of Sittings with Eusapia Palladino''. Proceedings of the Society for Psychical Research 23: 309–569. *
Everard Feilding Francis Henry Everard Joseph Feilding (6 March 1867 – 8 February 1936) best known as Everard Feilding was an English barrister, naval intelligence officer and psychical researcher. Career As a teenager, Feilding worked as a midshipman for ...
; William S. Marriott. (1910)
''Report on Further Series of Sittings with Eusapia Palladino at Naples''
Proceedings of the Society for Psychical Research 15: 20–32. *
Everard Feilding Francis Henry Everard Joseph Feilding (6 March 1867 – 8 February 1936) best known as Everard Feilding was an English barrister, naval intelligence officer and psychical researcher. Career As a teenager, Feilding worked as a midshipman for ...
. (1963). ''Sittings with Eusapia Palladino & Other Studies''. University Books. *
Barbara Goldsmith Barbara Goldsmith (May 18, 1931 – June 26, 2016) was an American author, journalist, and philanthropist. She received critical and popular acclaim for her best-selling books, essays, articles, and her philanthropic work. She was awarded four ...
. (2005). ''Obsessive Genius: The Inner World of Marie Curie''. W. W. Norton. * Nandor Fodor. (1934). ''An Encyclopaedia of Psychic Science''. Arthurs Press. *
C. E. M. Hansel Charles Edward Mark Hansel (12 October 1917 – 28 March 2011) was a British psychologist most notable for his criticism of parapsychological studies. Early life and education Hansel was born in 1917 in Bedford, England and attended Bedford ...
. (1980). ''ESP and Parapsychology: A Critical Re-Evaluation''. Prometheus Books. *
Ernest Abraham Hart Ernest Abraham Hart (26 June 18357 January 1898) was an English medical journalist. He was the editor of ''The British Medical Journal''. Biography Hart was born in London, the son of a Jewish dentist. He was educated at the City of London sc ...
. (1896)
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British Medical Journal ''The BMJ'' is a weekly peer-reviewed medical trade journal, published by the trade union the British Medical Association (BMA). ''The BMJ'' has editorial freedom from the BMA. It is one of the world's oldest general medical journals. Origina ...
'' article and letters on Palladino). * Harry Houdini. (2011, originally published in 1924). ''A Magician Among the Spirits''. Cambridge University Press. * Joseph Jastrow. (1910). ''The Case of Eusapia Palladino''. Review of Reviews 41: 74–84. * Joseph Jastrow. (1910). ''The Unmasking of Paladino. An Actual Observation of the Complete Machinery of the Famous Italian Medium''. Collier’s Weekly. 14 May. * Joseph Jastrow. (1918)
''The Psychology of Conviction: A Study of Beliefs and Attitudes''
Houghton Mifflin Company. * Joseph Jastrow. (1935). ''Wish and Wisdom: Episodes in the Vagaries of Belief''. D. Appleton-Century Co. Chapter 12 "Paladino's Table" contains a photo of a mysterious spirit face in clay, compared to Palladino's face. The similarity is striking. * Stanley LeFevre Krebs. (1910
''Trick Methods of Eusapia Paladino''
Philadelphia. Very informative and critical explanations. *
Paul Kurtz Paul Kurtz (December 21, 1925 – October 20, 2012) was an American scientific skeptic and secular humanist. He has been called "the father of secular humanism". He was Professor Emeritus of Philosophy at the State University of New York at Buff ...
. (1985). ''A Skeptic's Handbook of Parapsychology''. Prometheus Books. * James H. Leuba. (1909)
''Eusapia Palladino: A Critical Consideration of the Medium's Most Striking Performances''
Putnam's Magazine 7: 407–415. *Walter Mann. (1919)
''The Follies and Frauds of Spiritualism''
Rationalist Association. London: Watts & Co. *
Joseph McCabe Joseph Martin McCabe (12 November 1867 – 10 January 1955) was an English writer and speaker on freethought, after having been a Roman Catholic priest earlier in his life. He was "one of the great mouthpieces of freethought in England". Beco ...
. (1920). ''Scientific Men and Spiritualism: A Skeptic's Analysis''. The Living Age. June 12. pp. 652–657. *
Joseph McCabe Joseph Martin McCabe (12 November 1867 – 10 January 1955) was an English writer and speaker on freethought, after having been a Roman Catholic priest earlier in his life. He was "one of the great mouthpieces of freethought in England". Beco ...
. (1920)
''Is Spiritualism Based On Fraud? The Evidence Given By Sir A. C. Doyle and Others Drastically Examined''
London: Watts & Co. * Georgess McHargue. (1972). ''Facts, Frauds, and Phantasms: A Survey of the Spiritualist Movement''. Doubleday. * John Mulholland. (1938). ''Beware Familiar Spirits''. Charles Scribner's Sons. * Hugo Münsterberg. (1910). ''My Friends the Spiritualists: Some Theories and Conclusions Concerning Eusapia Palladino''. Metropolitan Magazine 31: 559–572. *Simone Natale. (2016)
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'. University Park, PA: Pennsylvania State University Press. . * Frank Podmore. (1910)
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Chapters 3 "Eusapia Palladino" and 4 "Eusapia Palladino and the S.P.R." Henry Holt and Company. * Massimo Polidoro. (2003). ''Secrets of the Psychics: Investigating Paranormal Claims''. Prometheus Books. * Harry Price and Eric J. Dingwall
''Revelations of a Spirit Medium''
Arno Press, 1975 (reprint of the 1891 edition by Charles F. Pidgeon). This extremely rare, forgotten book gives an "insider's knowledge" of 19th-century
deception Deception or falsehood is an act or statement that misleads, hides the truth, or promotes a belief, concept, or idea that is not true. It is often done for personal gain or advantage. Deception can involve dissimulation, propaganda and sleight o ...
s. * Julien Proskauer. (1946). ''The Dead Do Not Talk''. Harper & Brothers. pp. 119–121. (Discusses Palladino and her fraudulent levitation techniques). * Susan Quinn. (1995). ''Marie Curie: A Life''. Simon and Schuster. *D. H. Rawcliffe. (1988, originally published in 1952). ''Occult and Supernatural Phenomena''. Chapter 21: "Eusapia Palladino". Dover Publications. *
Joseph Rinn Joseph Francis Rinn (1868–1952) was an American magician and skeptic of paranormal phenomena. Career Rinn grew up in New York City. He coached Harry Houdini as a teenager in running at the Pastime Athletic Club. He remained a friend to Houdini ...
. (1950). ''Sixty Years of Psychical Research: Houdini and I Among the Spiritualists''. Truth Seeker Company. *Andreas Sommer. (2012)
''Psychical research and the origins of American psychology: Hugo Munsterberg, William James and Eusapia Palladino''
History of the Human Sciences. Vol 2: 23–44. *Krystyna Tokarzówna and Stanisław Fita, ''
Bolesław Prus Aleksander Głowacki (20 August 1847 – 19 May 1912), better known by his pen name Bolesław Prus (), was a Polish novelist, a leading figure in the history of Polish literature and philosophy, as well as a distinctive voice in world lite ...
, 1847–1912: Kalendarz życia i twórczości'' (
Bolesław Prus Aleksander Głowacki (20 August 1847 – 19 May 1912), better known by his pen name Bolesław Prus (), was a Polish novelist, a leading figure in the history of Polish literature and philosophy, as well as a distinctive voice in world lite ...
, 1847–1912: a Calendar of isLife and Work), edited by
Zygmunt Szweykowski Zygmunt Szweykowski (7 April 1894 in Krośniewice – 11 February 1978 in Poznań) was a historian of Polish literature who specialized in 19th-century Polish prose. Life In 1932-39, Szweykowski held a professorship at the Free Polish University ...
, Warsaw, Państwowy Instytut Wydawniczy, 1969. * Richard Wiseman. (1997). ''Deception & Self-Deception: Investigating Psychics''. Prometheus Books. * Wood, Robert W. (1910)
''Report of an Investigation of the Phenomena Connected with Eusapia Palladino''
Science 31 (803): 776–780. {{DEFAULTSORT:Palladino, Eusapia 1854 births 1918 deaths 19th-century Italian women 20th-century Italian women Spiritual mediums People from the Province of Bari Psychokineticists Italian spiritualists